What an incredible script, very well structured. A story that grips you from start to finish, very tense and very well done. The performances are magnificent and the connection between the characters makes everything so much more exciting to watch. In addition to these aspects, the movie is set in the 80s, which gives everything a special touch.
Marvel outdid itself with this reboot of She Hulk.
A lot of moments that had me at the edge of my seat. Also a bunch of wtf moments that made me laugh out loud. Still, I have to respect any movie that goes this hard.
Other thoughts:
- Why did no one tell me this was body horror
- Dave Franco is doing a great job slipping right into his brother's shoes
- Ed Harris is fucking terrifying
- Put Anna Baryshnikov in every movie please
- Would make a great double feature with Drive-Away Dolls
Saint Maude and now Love Lies Bleeding? Rose Glass got the juice! I’m gonna watch anything she does from here till the end.
This movie was an experience. I love the vibe, two souls with a lightning connection that just create chaos around them. This is going to be re-watched again and again.
That touch of horror with the bad acid/steroid trip was beautifully executed.
This was what I wanted Drive Away Dolls to be, a much stronger film with a much more balanced take between the romance and crime elements.
The score and sound design is awesome, some greally strong perfomances almost across the board, two leads are phenominal and Ed Harris is nuts, The style and visuals are on point, reminded me of The Holdovers not in content, but just in the same nostalgia vibes from the 70's/80's without being nothing more than cheap nostalgia bait. There is a universe where this movie could have been a cheap notalgia bait movie, but Rose Glass made a story and characters that were interesting and compelling.
I think it will be forgotten by the time awards season rolls aroud, but Clint Mansell really did deliever a great score and I'd love to see his name pop up at the end of the year.
I loved the atomosphere of this movie. It feels dirty in every regard. The violence is shocking and that kept me on the edge of my seat. Kristen Stewart has come an extremely long way with her acting abilities. Thought she was fantastic as Lou. The rest of the cast are also great. The score was noticeable and makes me want to give it a relisten. My holdup and only problem with the movie is the ending. I didn’t really like the stylistic choices that were made here and this isn’t a movie that gives a lot of closure. I am going to see when it comes out digitally that on a second viewing the movie will jive better with me.
Mildly amusing but ultimately empty.
Love Lies Bleeding blends various elements together into a surprising, sometimes effective, sometimes ineffective sapphic thriller. For me, the movie is at its best when dealing with the crime portion of the story where the bursts of violence ratchet up the tension, and Rose Glass' direction builds a sense of unease with these shots bathed in red and darkness set to an ominous soundtrack. It is in these sections that Kristen Stewart's acting is at its height as well, where her nervousness and frustration bleed through the screen. Katy O'Brian and Ed Harris do a good job as well, and their characters inhabit this drama well. However, the problem is that this movie also has a romantic element to it. And unfortunately, this part fell flat to me. I felt it was rushed, and the way it impacts and informs events throughout the movie to be unearned. Also, I just didn't feel like Stewart and O'Brian had as much chemistry together, even though they were excellent individually. Finally, this movie has a scattering of surrealism mixed in. Though I wasn't a fan of it overall because of how random it felt, I thought it was generally helping to build the atmosphere -- even if the thematic focus for these parts was not really synergizing with the rest of the movie. However, near the end, one of these sequences sort of took me completely out of the movie. For a movie that is mostly grounded, just having this random sequence at the end felt almost like a betrayal, and I also struggled to see its purpose. Because of this, the ending fell flat to me, and it allowed my more negative feelings to overtake some of the more positive aspects of the movie.
Love Lies Bleeding both exceeded my expectations and left me disappointed. The film is good, but some unusual directional decisions prevent it from being truly great. I love the vibe, the characters, and the soundtrack. It's a violent erotic thriller that could've been even bigger had it kept its feet on the ground.
I can't wait to see this, it looks amazing. :heart_eyes:
Sex at the beginning and bizarre at the end. No need to say anything else. I just wish I hadn’t stayed for the whole show hoping it would be worth my time. I give this a 4 (poor) out of 10.
I am absessed.
What a crazy, brutal and heartbreaking ride. Still very wholesome. Not sure If I ever saw a movie where I wished more for a happy ending than this one. Totally surprised me with everything they did. Kristen and Katy are amazing! Also, the soundtrack
With all the talk of the sex in this movie I was surprised it isn’t a porno. I like that it got weird just wish it was weirder
I'm kinda sick of arthouse films copying the Nicolas Winding Refn aesthetic, but if you're gonna do it this well, I can't complain. Love the synth score and neon aesthetic, it's easily its strongest asset. Unfortunately, the script and overall direction are junk. I feel like it's trying to give you the Brian de Palma/John Carpenter version of something like Bound or Thelma & Louise, and if that sounds like an awkward mix of tones, you'd be right. I really didn't care for the romance that's set-up during the first act due to the awkward dialogue, flat characterization and lack of chemistry between the two leads. Once the crime plot develops, it has a hard time justifying the motivations of characters in a way that doesn't feel contrived or stupid. It gradually becomes more camp as it goes along, but not in a way that I found particularly rewarding. By the time it reaches its conclusion I was laughing at how unapologetically trashy the film gets, leaving any real attempt at substance in the rear view mirror in favour of something more groteseque, which falls completely flat. Leading up to those moments, it kinda feels like the film wants to have it both ways, because it integrates these poorly executed surrealist moments and an underdeveloped theme of female body language that doesn't quite jell with the rest of the plot. It's one of those films that would've benefitted from less pretension and instead focussing on making sure that you care about the central relationship, because the end result here is quite a mess.
4/10
The grit, the gore, the glory, the genes, the galore, the gains, the gasps, and the griddy. Filled to the brim with burning tension and hypnotic editing. The acting was insane, the story was insane, the soundtrack was insane, and everything just got really insane. Just like 'Black Swan', this movie starts unravelling when you least expect it, and it doesn't stop. There's a whole lot of analysing to do, I figured out a few of the messages it threw, but I still have no idea on half of it. The score put me in a trace when nothing was happening. My eyes and ears were stuck.
this is bound (1996)'s weird and creepy sister. loved it
Great performances by the two leads, especially Katy O'Brian.
Love Lies Bleeding mixes the Coen brothers' fascination with the once-wild-now-tame West with a grotesquely tactile and gross lens on the human experience rivaling the great John Waters (an ironic twist of fate, as this is the type of cinematic masterpiece Ethan Coen's Drive-Away Dolls thinks it wants to be a snarky parody of). This film then takes that concept and runs with it, through the end zone and out the other side into the stadium's back parking lot. Every frame is shrink-wrapped in this uniquely feminine sexual itch, one that even a cis straight male viewer like me is strongly gravitated toward. The viewer is picked up and thrashed around by the sickening, swirling tone of the film, pulled through climax after thrilling climax. Once we reach the variably interpretable ending, we don't even care any more, because we're coming down from the high and realizing we survived. The end result reads like something out of Hunter Thompson's personal dream journal.
The cast of talented performers only elevates the already masterful material, with a career performance by Ed Harris, break-out roles for Anna Baryshnikov and Katy O'Brian, and let's not forget little Franco's sleazy imitation of Big Brother.
I can't wait to see more of Rose Glass's work. She is cinematic voice for a generation no longer playing the part the humble townsfolk, accosted by handsome men wandering out of the sandy, grainy filmstock. Now we are that stranger in that strange land, the West. The West is all around us, a breathing, living thing that takes us in. If you don't watch your step, the ground beneath your feet will open up and swallow you whole.
Like opening the bedroom door and finding your hot neighbor beating an asshole to death: Love Lies Bleeding is full of punch, blood, and heart.
A good old-fashioned noir thriller made with some decidedly new-fashioned fuuuuck.
She is finally in some movie.
I think I waited too long to see this. It got built up and hyped up and now that I finally have I’m like… that’s it? I gotta be real, I liked the weirdness that was there. But there had to be more to sell that ending. I wasn’t bought in on Lou’s and Jackie’s romance, in spite of Stewart’s stellar work. Before things go crazy it’s pure lust and I know, people do crazy things for that and call it love, u haul lesbians ha ha, but the film straddled between wanting us to root for them and thinking they’re terrible people and doesn’t land either, for me. Jackie’s undercooked, the whole steroid storyline just not hitting. She comes off unsympathetic, but not developed enough to be unlikable, which would be better? She’s a plot device for Lou to fall in love with and do these things for more than a person in her own right. She starts the plot by being there for Lou to fall in love with and moves it along by killing something when it lulls.
And nobody talks about Beth? For most of the film she’s the typical abuse victim in movies, afforded no interiority of her own and a way for the audience to feel for her sibling, the protagonist, by proxy. And then over the course of one scene she’s supposed to be a bitch, actually, and another family obstacle for Lou to overcome? By exploiting the physical wounds of the abuse? While Daisy is an annoying, clingy woman in ugly makeup and in love with the lead who just won’t take a hint because the lead won’t just tell her so, and for the crime of being annoying and the admittedly dick moves of implicit blackmail and keeping the true love interest away, first gets shot in the neck and then suffocated for the inconvenience of surviving as the capper to the film. A lot of these two are cookie cutter boiler plate misogynistic tropes and meant to be not so because instead of a man at the center we have Kristen Stewart. And they call it a day instead of doing any further work.
Was it hot? Yes! I liked and approved of those parts. Kristen Stewart, again, did great. Ed Harris put just enough familial affection into his role that his ruthlessness will always drown out to be a bit interesting. There’s some gorgeous shots. And the body horror that was there was good. I was just expecting so much more, and I never bought in to the level of love and investment the two leads had in each other. As a love story and character work it’s flaccid. And the vibes, while good, could’ve been vibier. I don’t get it. What am I missing? I feel like I watched a different movie from everyone else.
[Filmin] A surprising story that unfolds between the 80s aesthetic and the not-so-subtle but very powerful interpretation of the conflicts posed by patriarchal violence. Like Thelma and Louise with testosterone, the protagonists find themselves on that path of confrontation with that masculine side of domestic violence and toxic fatherhood. And it has the ability to always invent a different and unexpected path in which you never know how the characters will react, what wrong decisions they will make to fall off the cliff.
Had me hooked but what a very, very, very bizarre film…
The aesthetic of this film really works for me. It is a neo-noir A24 film that feels a bunch like "Under the Silver Lake" but less wacky and a bit more violent. Kristen Stewart was great and I can confidently say I will be watching this one again!
Rating: 4/5 - 85% - Would Recommend
Very surprised that a lot of people loved this movie. I didn't care for the relationship because it felt too rush & unrealistic to me. She went through all that trouble for some girl she didn't know for long. A24 always come through with the visuals and aesthetic. If you like crime drama this movie is for you. Personally, it's a forgettable movie.
5/10
I liked this, it had a really crazy ending like nicotine but it was good
It’s Nicolas Winding Refn without the Nicolas Winding Refn.
I thought this movie was really good. I would’ve given it a higher score but it faltered a bit in the final act. Still, it was a satisfying watch.
Felt authentic to its theme. The ending was like wtf but okay I guess. Not something I would ever rewatch but it was a good time killer.
I'm actually a bit ambivalent about “Love Lies Bleeding." The beginning and middle of the movie are fantastic, but the finale takes some getting used to. Director Rose Glass definitely succeeds in establishing the characters and the setting. She doesn't hesitate for long before the romance at the heart of the plot picks up speed. You can definitely expect some sex scenes, but they are pleasantly not voyeuristically staged. It's all very atmospheric, both visually and in terms of the score.
The chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brian should also not be underestimated, as I immediately buy their romance. Many people don't seem to like Stewart, but I've never had a problem with her. She may be a little limited in her acting, but she always excels at portraying slightly odd characters like the one in this movie. The star of the film, however, is O'Brian, who, as a homeless bodybuilder, sets herself up for roles in bigger movies.
But as I said, the movie lost me a bit towards the end. The thriller plot starts off well, but the resolution and some decisions in connection with the finale are just not my cup of tea. Due to some interesting visual ideas by Glass, at least it never gets boring, which is why I can still give it a strong recommendation overall.
I was on board with everything except the overly stylized moments. They weren't enough to ruin the experience, but I would be more likely to recommend the movie without them. The story is compelling, the character dynamics are unique, and the performances are excellent.
I was looking forward to this ever since I saw the first trailer. Love Kristen and she was perfect for this role. The first half had me intrigued. Not a big fan of the heavy lesbian sex scenes and how untended all the characters looked. The only character that looked like she’d been close to a shower lately was Katy O'Brian. The story was extremely gritty and I thought this was going to be a classic. However, close to the end it got ridiculous and especially the ending itself was just too weird and lost my interest. I ended up wishing I hadn’t watched it. I’ve watched many movies with deeper meaning and spaced out scenes which were fitting and added to the story and vision as a whole. This scene however destroyed a Movie that I was hoping would at least have a good ending.
Not bad at all.
Some of the things it's trying to do kind of fall flat and end up being confusing (I don't even know what to make of the supernatural elements), but it's a pretty stylish and interesting watch.
The scene of them running through the clouds gave me a weird Twilight flashback.
OMG what was that giant and cloud running
It started out benign enough and just got weirder from there. But it was still a good time.
Not one single, positive male character, again.
Well that was one hell of a KStew lesbian fever dream. Not that I mind in the slightest.
This movie was incredible, everything I hoped it would be from the description and trailer, and more. It's rare that a movie keeps my attention fully riveted on it, but this had me hooked from the first thirty seconds. The cinematography is gorgeous, the visuals were gritty and greasy and sumptuous, and most importantly, the relationship felt real and natural, much more so than practically any hetero relationship I've seen portrayed in film. Maybe it's just because I'm also queer, but every part of Lou and Jackie's journey resonated with me. It looked at the fact that sometimes you do stupid shit for love, and sometimes you get absolutely furious with someone, out of love, and sometimes, if you're really lucky, your girlfriend saves your life by metaphorically hulking out . God. This movie was just amazing, I'll be thinking about it for days, and might rewatch it soon. Kristen Stewart just gets better with everything I see her in, and Katy O'Brian was also phenomenal. Ed Harris was creepy and menacing and just an all around VBM (very bad man). Daisy's character made me uncomfortable but also sad for her. Just, oof. So good. The score was excellent as well.
A bright and bloody story about a flash of love between girls on the scale of an unknown American town. Where sheriffs and bandits in one team run local affairs, and everyone else can either work for them or die. Or run away? The Coens will like it, novo-noir without a protagonist, the otherness of feelings here drives the plot perfectly, as does bodybuilding and the 80s vibe
This film confounded me a little bit. I can't say that I loved anything about it, but it still held my attention right to the end. It was never predictable and - while it reminded me of several other films - it still felt authentic.
follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHATEBadMovies
Lesbian Point Break. Unfortunately another film this year that looked far better in the trailer. Despite some great moments from the cast this overall just did very little for me.
The movie wasn’t great but it was at least watchable until the last 5 minutes of it. They ruined the whole film with the ending.
So they died? That’s what it’s looking like. Don’t try to art me. Ambiguous ass endings but the troupe was still there. The gays are buried.
What the end like the bullshit ?
what the situation of the girl on the fighting?
I guess is it a fantasy story …
What could've been an excellent movie got completely botched by the ending. Like a turd on top of a cake. Who in the hell came up with that. I couldn't make it worse if i tried.
the end is disappointing. omg
Would've been the perfect movie if it had more violence.
Very Rose Glass and very A24. A mixed bag from beginning to end for me. The characters are memorable and interesting but the romance never felt justified to me, all I saw is that it was built on sex. Too rushed and it's hard to keep up with the ups and downs of the relationship and everything happening around them. They barely had a decent conversation together before all hell breaks loose. Some frustrating character interactions and dumb decision making. Most of the movie's direction was frustrating to me. The crime storyline is generic. The final twist works as an idea, it had potencial, but I don't think it was executed very well. Felt very cheap.
Great performance from Kristen Stewart, probably my favorite performance from her after Spencer. Katy O'Brian gives a strong physical performance and Ed Harris was good comical relief. The gore took me by surprise, very brutal and shocking. Some interesting visuals and a good score. It does a good job at building the tension. I like the 'muscles as a metaphor for love' idea and how working on your body is the same as working on a relationship. The motivational panels on the walls in the gym was a nice touch.
Rated a Connor 0, normal 5
If you told me this movie was made in the 70s, I'd mostly believe you. The soundtrack, the cinematography, the camera placement and editing all works so well. It all fits. Interesting story, a little odd at times. Maybe a little too much nudity. But overall, nostalgic of a time when I watched older films.
This is not just a film for the lesbians/bisexuals. There is enough for even the straight man to enjoy.
Review by XiofireBlockedParent2024-04-28T20:33:59Z
A sweaty, gritty, horny, sapphic thrill ride that, if not for it's divisive and dreamlike fizzle of a finale, would be a personal modern classic. Rose Glass absolutely blew me away with her debut in Saint Maud, and her penchant for blurring the lines between fantasy and reality only continues with more fervour in her sophmore outing. A departure from her horror roots, Love Lies Bleeding is part lesbian romance, part crime thriller with a dash of body horror. I absolutely loved everything this movie was putting down for about 90% of the runtime, even down to its manic escalation towards the back half, but I can't help but feel shortchanged by the haste with which concludes things right before the credits roll. Lovely visuals, everything looks so caked in sweat and dirt and humidity; Kristen is quietly hilarious and the perfect fit for the awkward, sprialing-in-love lesbian she's asked to play opposite larger than life Katy O'Brian, who absolutely steals the show with her troubled, muscular, steroid junkie Jackie. I have a feeling that subsequent viewings will only aid this one, as well as musing on the signivicance of a lot of the imagery in play here. Really great stuff, I look forward to now reading explanation posts and watching video essays until I fully understand every part of this movie, and there is no greater praise I can give it than that.